Sterilizer



A. W. BENSIVIAN. STERLIZER. APPucAT'loN man FEB. 10. 1920.

19435, l 43., Patented Nov. M, 1922 2 SHEETS-SHEE1 l.

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A. Wl BENSMAN.

STERILIZER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I0, 1920.

1.435, 148 Patented Nov. M, 1922;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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Patented Nov. i4, 1922.

ARTHUR W. BENSIVIAN, 0F BUFFALO, NEVI YORK.

s'lifnRILIznR.

Application filed February 10, 1920. i Serial No. 357,606.

To aZZ ywhom t mai/ concern.'

Be it known that I, ARTHUR lV. BnNsMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the count)T of Erie and State ot' N ew York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Sterilizers, ot vwhich the following is a specification.V

Mv invention relates to sterilizers, and more i,)articularlv to that type ot' sterilizers adapted tor barbers use,

One ot' the objects of my invention is to provide a sterilizer having individualcompartments for towels and wherein said compartments are arranged in vertical, horizontal or otherseries so thateach series maybe assigned to each ot a number of barbers einploved in a barber shop, assuring absolute i'esponsibilitw7 for the condition in which towels are maintained.

Another object of my invention is the provision of sterilizer in which steam is employed for sterilizing purposes, and in which provision is made for returning the water oit condensation from the steam back to the source from which the steam'was generated.

Another object oi' mv invention is to provide a sterilizerhaving adoor. with means lor collecting' the water of condensation 'from the door and thus prevent dripping ot. the water onto the floor when opening the door.

A still further object of my invention is, in a sterilizer having' a water reservoir and a `sterilizing chamber having a door and Abeing in communication withfsaid water reservoir, the provision of means toshut ott communication between said water reservoir and said sterilizing chamber whenoiicning said door 'and to open up communication therebetween when closing said door.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novelt'eatures of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter described and more particularl)Y pointed out in the subjoined claims.

ln' the drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a sterilizer showing my invention in a representative form.

Fig. 2 is a vert-ical sectionl taken on line 2 2, Fig'. 1.

F is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 33, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4i is a horizontal section taken on line the, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 isa detached perspective view ot one ot' the towel-holding tubes or compartments.

Fig. 6 a front elevation of a. portion of a sterilizer embodying one of the features of' mv invention in modiiicd torm.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken on line 7*?. Fig. 6.

Fig. S is a vertical section through the lower end oi. the door shown in Fig. 6.

vReference being had to the Figs. 1 to 5, 10 designates a. casing or cabinet ot' any suitable form, that shown being' ot 'rectangular formation and having a` base 1l within which a suit-able heater may be placed for beating the bottom of said casing or cabinet.

The cabinet is divided by a horizontal wall or partition 12 into two compartments 13, 14. the compartment 13 being the sterilizing chamber or compartment while the compartment 14 is the steam generating` chamber or water reservoir in which a quantity of water to be placed so that steam will be generated in the lower portion of the cabinet and delivered into the sterlizing' chamber 13; and tor this purpose the wall or partition 12 is provided centrally7 with an opening into which an upstanding' wall or sleeve 15 is fitted and fastened, this sleeve being flanged `outwardl)v at its lower end. as at 16, to cngage the under side of the wall or partit-ion 12 around the opening therein, and it is also provided with a-circular external rib 17 adapted to bear against the upper side of said -wall or partition. In this manner the upstanding wall or sleeve 15 is securelyv 'fastened into the wall or partition. and while this is the` preterm-Pd construction, it is ap parenti-hat said upst-anding wall or sleeve ,may be otherwise Jfastened to the wall or partition 12, or ma)v be formed integral therewith, as may be desired.

The upstanding wall or sleeve 15 is preferablv cylindricalin crosssection and provided with a. plurality of openings 18 serving as steam-outlets. Surrounding said upstanding wall or sleeve is a cylindrical valve 19 bearing with its lower edge against the external rib 17 and having the upper marginal portion o't the upstanding wall or sleeve 15 bent over the upper marginal portion thereof, as at 20, s'o that said valve is retained against longitudinal movement but is permitted to rotate. This cylindrical valve is also provided with a series of openings 21 which are at times adapted to regisvided with an elongated opening' ter with the openings 18 in the upstanding wall or sleeve 15.

Lying against the upper edge of the upstanding wall or sleeve 15 is a closure plate or cap 22, which may be secured to said wall or sleeve or be laid .loosely thereon, its `purpose being to close the upper open end ol said upstanding wall or sleeve and cause steam generated in the water reservoir 14; to loe directed outwardly through the openings v1S, 21, when said openings are in registration.

The upstanding wall or sleeve 15 is pro and the valve 19 is provided with an inwardlyextendinn' socket 2l which projet-ts through said elongated opening. lVithin said socket is a spring* Q5 which bears against the inner end oi? a stud 26 limitedvin its outward movement by a suitable wall or retainer 27 in said socket` against which a shoulder on said stud at the inner end thereof bears. Said stud has at its outer end an enlargement or head 2S which is formed conical at its outer extremity, as at 29.

The :liront wall ol the cabinet has an opening 30 formed therein which is closed by a door 31 hinged, as at 32, to one side ot the cabinet.' This door comprises a suitable channel-shaped frame 32% tmfming a large panel openingin which a plate of glass :le serving' as a transparent panel ,is inserted said glass being` held in place by a retainer strip within the'channel ot said trame. The lower horizontal channel member of said channel-shaped frame has a metallic flat strip 3G placed therein which nia7 be termed a false bottom for said channel ment ber, an d this strip or 'false bottom is inclined trom opposite side edges ot the door to a common intermediate point 37, the inner wall or". the lower channel member of said door iframe, the lower horizontal portion ol the retainer strip and said flat strip or 'false bottom 3G serving' to Atorni a trough or collector into which the water ot condensation from the steam gathered on the inner side of the door will trickle. The inner side wallA ot the lower channel member oli said door frame is provided withl an opening' 88 at the lowermost point of said trough, Aand tastened to said inner wall in registration with said openingl is a segmental tube 39, substantially on an are of a circle havingthe hinge of the door as its axial point, said tube having anenlargen'ient or collar 40 at its inner or 'freeen d, as clearly shown in Fig. 4l, which is adapted to engage the conical end ot the bolt 26 when opening the door to cause the cylindrical valve 19to rotate on the upstandingV cylindrical wall or sleeve 15 in the lower end of the sterilizing chamber.

When the door ot the cabinet is closed, the segmental tube 'is in the position shown in Fig'. il, and the socket E24 ot the valve at the rear end ot the elongated opening 23, and when opening the door the enlargement or collar l0 on said tube is brought in engagement with the conical end of the bolt QGand is retained in engagement therewith while moving the inwardly-directed socket of the valve forwardly, until said socket engages the :iront or opposite end oi the elongated opening 23 in said wall or sleeve, at which point said socket with its bolt will be stopped, as indicated b v dotted lines in l"ig. Il. Further outward. movement of the door will cause the enlargement or collar l0 on the segmental tube to depress the bolt against the action of the springl 25 within the socket 2st, thus permitting the enlargeu ment or collar to pass :forwardlyv bevond the bolt so as to enable the door to be opened to the desired extent.

l/Vhen the door is open i. as shown in dotted lines in l, the water ot condensation cannot drip upon the floor and create unsanitarv conditions. li/loreorer7 an)v water ol. condensation collected in the trough at the bottom ot' the door will pass through the senniiental tube 39 and. be delivered by the latter into the sterilizinnchamber.

l/fheu closing' the doen the enlargement or head o'l" the segmental tube will again engage the conical end ot the bolt 27 and cause opposite rotation ot the c vlindrical valve until the inwardiii-extending socket 24 strikes the return or rear end oit the elongated opening QP in the upstanding` wall or sleeve 15, at which time. the bolt will be forced inwardl'v against the action of the spring Q5 in said socket. and after the enlargement or collar has cleared the bolt, the spring' will again project the latter.y the enlargement or collar passingl bevond the bolt duringv the inal closing movement oi? the door and when the door is closed the enlargement or collar will have reached the point shown in Fi 4l.

lt is apparent therefore that the inner end ot the segmental. tube is always within the lower endl ot the sterilizing' chamber whether the door opened or closed.y so that the wa` ter of condensation gathering on the inner side of the door will be delivered through said tube at all times. i

The water reservoir 111 is provided with the usual iillingr opening l1. in iront of which a. ller cup Lt2 is secured to the casing'. ln this manner the water within the water reservoir can easily be. maintained at the desired level, preferably in line with the lower end ot"'tl.ie fillingopening` ell. ln preferred construction this filling cup l2 is located in the front wall oit' the cabinet midwav be tween'opposite sidesthereol1 and directlv beneath the door. i

Flecured to the opposite side walls of the cabinet are two ledges 413 in the form of zontal wall or partition l2 serving as the bottom of the sterilizing chamber.

Resting' on the ledges is a support all, which may be in the form ot an open-sided casing comprising a top wall l5, a bottom wall lo provided with steam openings el?, and front and rear walls 48, i9, respectively. This support in its preferred form is therefore constructed ot .sheet metal having two spaced supporting members, which the front and rear walls 4:8, l@ may be designated, The trent wallr has a plurality of openings formed therein, and the rear wall has a like number of openings 5l. The openings in the front and rear walls are paired; that is to say. each openingl in the front wall is adapted to co-op'erate with an opening in the rear wallA` tor a purpose topres-` ently appear-. These openings may be arranged in any desired manner, but l have shown them formed in the front and rear walls at regular intervals, both horizontally and vertically, so that they may be said to be termed ineither vertical or horizontal series. and in these openings are supported individual towelsreceviing compartments 52, which are in the form of cylindrical tubes having opposite rends nttod in the openings 50, 5l, each tube being retained in a pair of openings in thevtront and rear wall. vBy preference, thel openings in the liront wall are situated in a planer slightly higherthan the mating openings in the rear wall so that the tubes are inclined rearwardly, as best shown in Fig, 2.

Fach oi the tubes'has the metal forming' the same dented inwardly at its highest point in substantially V-shape so as to form what may be termed a gathering groove or trough and at its lowermost point each ot said tubes has an outwardly extending l! -sh ape rib both the trough and the rib being extended from end to end oit the tube, the rib ot each tube being' directly above a trough ot' the tube directly beneath.

lowels indicated by the numeral l in l `i .are adapted to be placed in the tubes or compartments one or more towels Ylor each tube; and where a number of barbers are employed in a shop, there may be a series of these tubes or compartments assigned to each barber. In the arrangement shown in Fig. l, there are tive horizontal rows ot' tubes or towel-receiving compartments and four vertical rows. rlssuming that'there are live barbers employed in a shop, each barber may have a horizontal row assigned to him, or it there are four barbers employed, each may have one of the vertical rows assigned to him, but this division may be otherwise arranged, as the tubes or compartments may be numbered consecutively and each barber given a certain number ot tubes. Under any ot these arrangements, however, absolutely sanitary conditions are assured and full responsr bility placed for the lack of such conditions. The support 1A-l# has .its liront wall spaced trom the door ofthe cabinet. and its rear wall trom the rear wall ot the cabinet so that the steam entering the sterilizing chamber may pass upwardly in rear and in front of the support, and due to the bottom of the support having the openings 1l?, the steam may also pass upwardly through these opuiings and up between the tubes or towel compartments and also up alongside the two outer vertical series of tubes or com partments. The' steam passingY up in trontand in rear of the support will enter the tubes or compartments from opposite ends so as to sterilize the towels `within the compartments, and' the steam passing up .along side the tubes or compartments may enter the same through pertorations :'36 which are arranged in two series at opposite sides of the Ytrough lengthwise ot' each tube or compartment,- thus assuring thorough sterilization ot the towels within the compartments.

`ln the modification shown in Figs. 6 to S. the cabinet has filling openings 57 formed in two walls near their meeting angles, and a filling cup 5S fitted to the exterior of these walls sov as to surround said openings, this cupbeing situated directly beneath the horizontal edge or' thedoor. yas clearly shown in Fig, (i.

lu this modification, the frame 33 of the door has its lower frame member provided with a discharge opening` 59, and in said lower Yrame member-is a straight strip or talee bottom 60 inclined from the outer or treo edge otf'the door towards the hinged odge thereof so as to direct the water or" condensation collected in said lower trame member. .which serves as a trough, to said discharge opening, from which it is vdirected kinto the filling cup 58, the discharge opening 59 being directly above said filling cup. .ln this manner the water of condensation from the door will at all. times be delivered into the lling cup. and trom the latter through thetil-lingopenings into the water res itvoir of the sterilizer, whether the door is opened or closed. i

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the details of this invention may be modiied in various ways without departing from the scope ot the same or sacrificing any ot the advantages thereof. V

Having thus described myinvention` what I claim is 1 l. i5 steriliaer comprising a cabinet having a water reservoir supplied with water to be heated to generate steam. a sterilizing chamber in communication with said water reservoir to receive the steam therefrom, said sterilizing chamber being` separated from said reservoir by a wall or partition having an opening therein, and means to open and close said opening, said sterlizing chamber having an opening and a hinged door to close said last-mentioned opening, and means tocause the opening in said iva-ll or partition to be closed when opening said door.

Q. A sterilizer comprising a cabinet having an opening' and a door for closing' said opening, said cabinet having a Water reservoir and a sterilizing chamber separated trom said. Water reservoir bv a Wall or partition having an opening therein and an upstanding wall fitting into said opening, s aid upsta-nding vvall having a steam opening therein., a valve for opening or closing the steam opening in said upstanding Wall, and means projecting inuf'ardlv from said door to cause movement ot said valve so as to close the steam opening in said upstanding ivall.

3; A sterilizer comprising a cabinet having an opening and door `tor closing said opening, said cabinet being divided to form avvat'er reservoir supplied With Water to be heated to generate steam and a sterilizing chamber above said water reservoir sepa rated from the latter by a Wall or partition having a cylindrical upstanding wall provided With a plurality o i openings, a closure closing the upper end ot' said cylindrical Wall, a valve surrounding said c vv'ilindrical ,valland having openings therein adapted to register with the openings in said cylindrical Wall, and means on said door adapted to actuate said valve to close the openings in said cylindrical Wall When opening said door.Y f

t. A sterilizer comprising a cabinet having a Water reservoir adapted to contain Water to be heated to generate steam, a sterilizing chamber above said Water rcser voir separated from the latter by a horizontal Wall or partition having an openended sleeve extending upwardly therefrom into said sterilizing chamber, said sleeve vhaving a plurality of openings therein,` a

cylindrical valve surrounding said sleeve and having openings corresponding to the openin gs in said slee-ve, and a closure at the upper end ot said sleeve, said sterilizing chamber having an opening in one oi' its side Walls and a doorl hinged thereto to open or close said opening, said door having a trough at its lower end to collect the water ot con densation troni the inner side ot said door and a curved tube extending inwardly from said trough to direct the Water into the lovfe r end ot said sterilizing chamber and to close and open said cylindrical valve.

5. A sterilizer comprising a cabinet having a water reservoir, and a sterilizing chamber separated from said Water reservoir by a wall or partition having an upstanding sleeve provided Wit-h openings around the same and an elongated slot, means tor closing the upper end of said sleeve, a cylindrical valve surrounding said sleeve and having openings corresponding to the openings in said sleeve and having a socket extending through the elongatedslot of said sleeve and a spring-projected member in said socket, a door hinged to said cabinet Jfor gaining access to the interior of said sterilizing chamber, and a curved element ony said door adapted to engage the spring-projected member oit said valve for opening and closing said valve.

G. A sterilizer havinga 'sterilizing chamber, a support within said chamber comprising top and bottom Walls and tivo op posite walls connecting said `top and bottom Walls, each ot said Walls having a plurality ot vertically-disposed `series oit openings therein with the openings in one Wall paired with those of the other and in a lower plane, and a tube having its ends retained in each pair of openings and being provided with means to cause Water ot condensation to be directed lengthwise along said tube and to the exterior of one ot said opposite Walls.

7. A sterilizer having a steriliZing charnber. a support within said chamber havingl top and bottom Walls and opposite vertical walls connecting said top and bottom Walls, each ot said vertical Walls havinga vertical series ot' openings therein, the openings in ,said opposite vertical Walls being paired and one ot each pair being in a lower plane than its mating opening, and a tube having its ends retained in each pair of said openings and being provided with a trough along its highest point and a rib along its lovvermost point, the rib of each tube being directliv above the trough of the tube next below and each of said troughs being adapted to direct the Water to the outside ot one of said vertical Walls. i

8. A. sterilizer having a sterilizing chamber, a support removably retained Within sai d chamber and having spaced support-ing elements, and a vertical series ot' tubes inclined Within said support, eachY tube receiving support at opposite ends from said supporting elements and having a trough along its highest point, a V-shaped rib along its lower-most point and a series oil" steam inlet openings along opposite sides ott said trough, the ribs ot each tube being disposed to lead Water ot condensation into the trough of the next lower tube of the series.

In testimony whereof I mv signature.

ARTHUR W. BE'NSMAN. 

